Page 44 of Pursued By the Orc
I listened to Molpe give her pitch about the car in the background while admiring it. The moon roof could apparently filter in starlight on command—because of course it could—and when I slid into the driver’s seat—because I just couldn’thelp myself—it automatically adjusted to my height and posture, humming politely as if it approved of me.
“This is… wow,” I whispered, because my brain had temporarily short-circuited.
The dashboard came alive with a soft chime. “Hello, Emma,” said a smooth, flirtatious voice. “I’m Trixie. Krusk has programmed me to play romantic music when you’re angry.”
I shot Molpe a look when she smothered a snorted laugh. “He said you might be angry when you get this,” she explained.
I laughed, and just like that, the ridiculousness of it all melted into something warm. It wasn’t just a car. It was Krusk trying—really trying—to speak my language, even if he did it in horsepower. Because he wanted to help me.
I’d known that he was worried about me getting to and from my grandma, but I hadn’t expected this at all. He wasn’t trying to impress me. He just wanted to give me what he thought I needed. A lone tear slipped down my cheek and I swiped at it while Molpe looked away.
The siren crouched next to me, giving me a sweet smile. “How about we take it for a spin and I’ll show you what this baby can do?”
I grinned at her as she leaned forward to press the button that started the car. As the engine purred to life beneath me, I thought maybe—just maybe—I wouldn’t fight him as hard as hethought I would for this gift.
CHAPTER 29
Emma
Pulling up to Krusk’s building, I stared up at the intimidating facade, taking a deep breath of air and praying that I had enough courage to face him after his incredible gift. Driving the car had been better than anything I’d ever expected.
I hadn’t had that much fun inages. And the one thing that had niggled at the back of my mind the entire time was that I’d have preferred if the person in the passenger’s seat was Krusk instead of Molpe.
With that realization, I’d dropped her back to the dealership and hightailed my way to his place. He’d already programmed his address into the navigation system and Trixie had been more than willing to take me there.
“Trixie,” I murmured, and the little chime let me know she was listening. “How do you say thank you to an orc?”
“Orcs have different love languages,” she said in a low,soothing voice. “What’s the gender of the orc that you’d like to thank?”
“Male,” I answered, twisting my hands in my lap as I stared up at the building again.
“Is the gift for Krusk?” she asked, and I glanced at the console, my brow furrowing before I responded in a hesitant voice.
“Yes.”
“Most male orcs enjoy physical gifts such as craftwork, but they prefer affection from their female partners or mates. Sexual gifts such as blowjobs go a long way to—”
“Trixie, enough!” I screamed at the car and with another chime she went silent. My face was on fire, and I refused to listen to the rest of that list.
Swallowing hard, I was startled by a light rap on my window. When I looked over, I saw a male orc standing next to the car. I lowered the window by an inch and squeaked,
“Hi! Sorry if I’m not supposed to park here.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, then his expression cleared and he nodded. “It’s fine, Emma. Krusk said that we should expect you in case you decided to visit. I’m Darak. Did you need me to help you park the car?”
I gaped at him, not sure what to say when Trixie chirped to life.
“Auto-parking activated at the Everlock Residence. Please disembark.”
I glanced from the console to the male as he nodded and opened the door, holding it for me while he waited patiently.
Fuck my life, this is actually happening.
I stepped out of the car, unsure what the hell to do as he closed the door and Trixie clicked her own locks on the door and drove off. I stared after the car, feeling lost for a long moment before Darak shifted next to me.
“So… do we go inside now?” he asked, his eyebrow quirked as he stared down at me with a stoic expression.
No, no, no!
